Metrosideros excelsa, the pōhutukawa, a coastal evergreen tree species
The pōhutukawa has been introduced to other countries with mild-to-warm climates, including south-eastern Australia, where it is naturalising on coastal cliffs near Sydney.
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In isolated populations genetic drift has resulted in local variation: many of the trees growing around the Rotorua lakes produce pink-shaded flowers, and the yellow-flowered cultivar 'Aurea' descends from a pair discovered in 1940 on Mōtiti Island in the Bay of Plenty.
Metrosideros robusta | Metrosideros polymorpha | Metrosideros excelsa | Excelsa | M. excelsa | Metrosideros umbellata | Koompassia excelsa | Doryanthes excelsa |
They are found in diverse plant species, including epiphytes such as orchids, tropical coastal swamp trees such as mangroves, the resourceful banyan trees, the warm-temperate rainforest rātā (Metrosideros robusta) and pōhutukawa (M. excelsa) trees of New Zealand and vines like Common Ivy (Hedera helix) and poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans).
It is a common canopy tree in lowland forests north of Auckland, often growing in association with kauri (Agathis australis), pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), tawapou (Pouteria costata), and pūriri (Vitex lucens) on basalt rocks and soils.